Delhi to get Humsafar LGBTQ centre in April 2017

Delhi will soon get a safe space, providing crisis management and counselling services, to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities.

Delhi, India's capital will soon get a safe space, providing crisis management and counselling services, to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities. One of India's oldest male health and LGBTQ organisations, The Humsafar Trust, will inaugurate its new centre in Delhi on April 7, 2017. Humsafar, was set up in Mumbai in 1994 and is one of the leading organizations covering the spectrum of sexual minorities in India. Humsafar's Delhi office is supported by project CONNECT, whose focus is to build the capacities of LGBTQ organizations working in various parts of the country. Ashok Row Kavi, founder and chairperson of Humsafar Trust, said that it was a long-held dream to bring the organisation to Delhi. Ashok Row Kavi, a reputed journalist and activist, was one of the first persons in India to come out publicly way back in 1984, at a time when there was no conversation or national level movement for the human rights of LGBTQ persons. "Humsafar Trust will bring our best practice services in counselling, crisis management and community mobilisation to the LGBTQ communities in Delhi NCR and nearby areas," said Ashok Row Kavi. "We also hope to network directly with Parliament and the Union Government on important legislation regarding sexual minorities and their problems," added Row Kavi.

Humsafar's Delhi office will offer a safer space for the LGBTQ community with a drop-in centre. It will host informative sessions every Friday on legal awareness, mental health, social entitlements, coming out etc. It will offer counselling services provided by community counselors. For any advance counselling support like mental health, etc it will have referrals to experts. "LGBTQ persons in India generally live under double or triple stigma because of their sexuality, and tend to hide themselves due to societal and other pressures. This leads to many mental health issues concerning the community. Humsafar's LGBTQ centre in Delhi hopes to provide not only a safer space for community members but also counselling and links with mental health professionals," said Vivek Anand, CEO of Humsafar Trust. (Read: LGBT activists call the surrogacy bill homophobic)

Humsafar Trust, which has been working since November 2016 to set up the space in the city, has already supported community initiatives in neighbouring regions - it supported the Chandigarh Queer Pride in March 2017 and is also supporting the Awadh Pride march that is scheduled to be held on April 9, 2017. Humsafar Delhi will also act as secretariat to INFOSEM - integrated network of sexual minorities, that has representation of more than 150 members, largely Community Based Organizations (CBOs) from all over India. Humsafar is also working on establishing India's first ever National LGBTQ Resource centre under project CONNECT. (Read: Do LGBTs have a curable psychological disorder? The Goa Government thinks so!)

Press release